Leeann Louis

Graduate student in the Animal Flight Laboratory

I enjoy studying diversity in the musculoskeletal morphology of organisms, and use that knowledge to understand underlying biomechanical performance and occupation of particular ecological niches. Currently, I am fascinated by sunbirds (Family: Nectariniidae), which consume nectar like hummingbirds but for which body size variation, diet, and locomotor behaviors are much more diverse than their distant hovering relatives in the Trochilidae. Additionally, I collaborate with engineers to apply my work to robotics, and I am heavily involved in Bay area teaching initiatives to share my enthusiasm for science with budding scientists.